20000205

1,500 Chechen

fighters killed

this week

MOSCOW: Russian federal troops this week killed more than 1,500 Chechen fighters as they tried to flee their capital, Grozny, the Russian defence minister told ORT television late on Thursday.

Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev said the losses were inflicted in a "brilliant" operation by trapping the Chechens in a corridor left for them to believe they could use to get out of Grozny.

"The losses of the Chechen fighters in the operation come to more than 1,500 men," said the minister.

The fighters were confronted by minefields, machine-gun and artillery fire, he said.

Russian forces took control of Grozny on Thursday. Chechen fighters said they had staged a deliberate withdrawal.ÑAFP